After spending Sunday burning the undergrowth in the bushland on Korowal and the surrounding bush perimeters to our north, we enjoyed several visits from the fireys as they kept a watch on the hazard reduction zone throughout Monday.We commenced Week 4 with smoke rising from the peat in our bushland, and the occasional sighting of a lyrebird turning the parched soil.

On behalf of us all, thank you to the city and rural fire services who successfully conducted a huge hazard reduction burn through Sunday and Sunday night. It is a great relief to us that this has been conducted after being scheduled, on and off, for over ten years. The volunteers in our RFS are wonderful community minded people, and we owe special thanks to them.

Friday was the final day of Semester 1 for our high school, so Monday will see changes apply to the timetables. Year 7 will commence Japanese and Year 8 will commence Drama, while Years 9&10 may continue with the same electives or change in some cases. Alistair will step across to teach Year 8 English as Kelly moves from this and into Drama. It was delightful to be entertained by the Drama elective group on Thursday afternoon and Friday evening, as they presented ‘Nightfall’ with Edgar Allen Poe. Kelly and her students created an evocative atmosphere and engaged us with Poe’s haunting poetry. Congratulations to you all!

Before we leave you with photos of Year 9 at the Gym and Kindy’s Autumn art, it has been brought to our attention this week, by students in our high school, that ‘13 Reasons Why’ Series 2 has been launched.

You may recall last year we alerted you to a popular and concerning Netflix series that was released, stating that many mental health organisations had issued cautions around its content. This week Series 2 was released and concerns have again been raised. Some of our senior students expressed personal concern that there is no alternative voice or respite presented in Series 2, in the episodes they had viewed. They say that scenes in the new series can be graphic and confronting and may also undermine trust in adult help.

Our obvious concern is for our students and their friends’ wellbeing. We can assume that many young people will be watching this, so firstly we want to keep you informed.We recommend that you check in with your teenage child, notice any recent changes in behaviour or social contact, and if you are comfortable to, open the conversation with your child about this series either directly or indirectly. It is a timely prompt towards having open conversations with our teenagers around qualities that make up healthy relationships alongside issues such as of bullying, mental illness, drugs, sexual violence, and how to access help.

At school, teachers will be listening and observing. Vikki Ryall of Headspace has commented of the series ‘that people’s reactions will vary, depending on individual life experiences and current circumstances.’

One thing we are always grateful for at Korowal is that our students keep us informed of current trends and concerns. We treasure the open communication we have with them, our parents and staff as we all pull together to keep them safe. Thank you for being in partnership with us.